Saturday 12 May 2018 21:27, UK
Racing 92 fly-half Dan Carter has been ruled out of Saturday's Champions Cup final against Leinster in Bilbao due to a hamstring injury.
The Kiwi withdrew from the squad a little under an hour before kick-off at the San Mames Stadium and has been replaced by Remi Tales, who is on the bench.
The 36-year-old would have been appearing in his final European club match and was seeking to add the only trophy in his career he had left to lift.
The news is another massive blow for Racing, who are already without scrum-half, captain and place kicker Maxime Machenaud due to a knee injury.
Carter provided a major impact off the bench in Racing's 28-17 quarter-final victory over Clermont at the Stade Marcel-Michelin, but will now be denied a chance at a perfect swansong.
The playmaker earned 112 caps for the All Blacks between 2003 and 2015, picked up four Super Rugby titles with the Crusaders, a Lions series victory in 2005, nine Rugby Championship titles, a World Cup with New Zealand in 2015 and two Top 14 titles with Perpignan in 2009 and Racing in 2016.
In November 2017, it was confirmed Carter would leave Racing at the end of the season to take up a contract with Japanese club named Kobelco Steelers.
